Association of risk assessment at diagnosis with healthcare resource utilization and health-related quality of life outcomes in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

We aimed to describe the clinical characteristics, healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and costs, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and survival for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), stratified by 1-year mortality risk at diagnosis. Adults diagnosed with PAH at the Sheffield Pulmonary Vascular Disease Unit between 2012 and 2019 were included. Patients were categorized as low, intermediate, or high risk for 1-year mortality at diagnosis.

Accounting for NAD Concentrations in Genome-Scale Metabolic Models Captures Important Metabolic Alterations in NAD-Depleted Systems.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is a ubiquitous molecule found within all cells, acting as a crucial coenzyme in numerous metabolic reactions. It plays a vital role in energy metabolism, cellular signaling, and DNA repair. Notably, NAD levels decline naturally with age, and this decline is associated with the development of various age-related diseases.

Risk assessment and real-world outcomes in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: insights from a UK pulmonary hypertension referral service.

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the ability of risk assessment to predict healthcare resource utilisation (HCRU), costs, treatments, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and survival in patients diagnosed with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH).

Design: Retrospective observational study.

Setting: Pulmonary hypertension referral centre in the UK.

Improved mid-term stability of MR reduction with an increased number of clips after percutaneous mitral valve repair in functional MR.

Background: Percutaneous mitral valve repair (PMVR) has evolved to be a standard procedure in suitable patients with mitral regurgitation (MR) not accessible for open surgery. Here, we analyzed the influence of the number and positioning of the clips implanted during the procedure on MR reduction analyzing also sub-collectives of functional and degenerative MR (DMR).

Results: We included 410 patients with severe MR undergoing PMVR using the MitraClip® System.

Healthcare resource utilization and quality of life in patients with sarcoidosis-associated pulmonary hypertension.

A retrospective, observational cohort study was conducted to generate real-world evidence in adult patients diagnosed with sarcoidosis-associated pulmonary hypertension (SAPH) at a referral center in England between 2012 and 2019. Data from the referral center electronic medical record database were linked to the National Health Service Hospital Episode Statistics database to collect and analyze patient demographics, clinical characteristics, comorbidities, treatment patterns, health-related quality of life (HRQoL; assessed using the EmPHasis-10 questionnaire), healthcare resource utilization (HCRU), costs, and survival. Sixty-two patients with SAPH were identified.

Protocol to isolate and analyze mouse bone marrow derived dendritic cells (BMDC).

Different types of immune cells are involved in atherogenesis and may act atheroprotective or atheroprogressive. Here, we describe an in vitro approach to analyze CD11c cells and CD11c-derived ApoE in atherosclerosis. The major steps include harvesting mouse bone marrow, plating cells in culture dishes, treating them with differentiation factors, and collecting cells after removal of undesirable populations.

Protocol to visualize CD11c cells in atherosclerosis using LacZ reporter mice.

Here, we describe an approach to visualize CD11c cells in atherosclerosis. In particular, we use a protocol for X-Gal staining of immune cells within atherosclerotic plaques, which can be used as an alternative to analyze plaque composition and cell-specific molecules in atherogenesis. LacZ knockin mice have to be bred to mice carrying the CD11c recombinase-both brought onto an ApoE background-to be able to visualize this cell type of interest in the plaques by X-Gal staining.

Long-Term Outcome of Non-antireflux Robotic-Assisted Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Ureter Reimplantation in Ureteral Obstruction.

Although robot-assisted laparoscopic ureter reimplantation (RALUR) is a recognized alternative to open and laparoscopic ureter reimplantation in treating distal ureteral obstruction, there are limited data on long-term efficacy and safety outcomes of non-antireflux RALUR. We assessed patients undergoing RALUR, evaluating operative, functional, and safety determinants. All consecutive patients undergoing non-antireflux RALUR between April 2015 and January 2020 were included in this retrospective cohort study.

Apolipoprotein E derived from CD11c cells ameliorates atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is studied in models with dysfunctional lipid homeostasis-predominantly the ApoE mouse. The role of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) for lipid homeostasis is not clear. Using a LacZ reporter mouse, we showed that CD11c cells were enriched in aortae of ApoE mice.

PopART-IBM, a highly efficient stochastic individual-based simulation model of generalised HIV epidemics developed in the context of the HPTN 071 (PopART) trial.

Mathematical models are powerful tools in HIV epidemiology, producing quantitative projections of key indicators such as HIV incidence and prevalence. In order to improve the accuracy of predictions, such models need to incorporate a number of behavioural and biological heterogeneities, especially those related to the sexual network within which HIV transmission occurs. An individual-based model, which explicitly models sexual partnerships, is thus often the most natural type of model to choose.

The C5a/C5a receptor 1 axis controls tissue neovascularization through CXCL4 release from platelets.

Platelets contribute to the regulation of tissue neovascularization, although the specific factors underlying this function are unknown. Here, we identified the complement anaphylatoxin C5a-mediated activation of C5a receptor 1 (C5aR1) on platelets as a negative regulatory mechanism of vessel formation. We showed that platelets expressing C5aR1 exert an inhibitory effect on endothelial cell functions such as migration and 2D and 3D tube formation.

Complement, inflammation and thrombosis.

A mutual relationship exists between immune activation and mechanisms of thrombus formation. In particular, elements of the innate immune response such as the complement system can modulate platelet activation and subsequently thrombus formation. Several components of the complement system including C3 or the membrane attack complex have been reported to be associated with platelets and become functionally active in the micromilieu of platelet activation.

Cost and cost-effectiveness of a universal HIV testing and treatment intervention in Zambia and South Africa: evidence and projections from the HPTN 071 (PopART) trial.

Background: The HPTN 071 (PopART) trial showed that a combination HIV prevention package including universal HIV testing and treatment (UTT) reduced population-level incidence of HIV compared with standard care. However, evidence is scarce on the costs and cost-effectiveness of such an intervention.

Methods: Using an individual-based model, we simulated the PopART intervention and standard care with antiretroviral therapy (ART) provided according to national guidelines for the 21 trial communities in Zambia and South Africa (for all individuals aged >14 years), with model parameters and primary cost data collected during the PopART trial and from published sources.

Relationship Between Time From Diagnosis and Morbidity/Mortality in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Results From the Phase III GRIPHON Study.

Background: Early initiation of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) therapies is associated with improved long-term outcomes, yet data on the early use of prostacyclin pathway agents are limited. In these post hoc analyses of the Prostacyclin (PGI) Receptor Agonist In Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (GRIPHON) study, the largest randomized controlled trial for PAH to date, the prognostic value of time from diagnosis and its impact on treatment response were examined.

Research Question: How does time from diagnosis impact morbidity/mortality events and response to selexipag treatment in patients with PAH?

Study Design And Methods: The GRIPHON study randomly assigned 1,156 patients with PAH to selexipag or placebo treatment.

Building Blocks for Magnon Optics: Emission and Conversion of Short Spin Waves.

Magnons have proven to be a promising candidate for low-power wave-based computing. The ability to encode information not only in amplitude but also in phase allows for increased data transmission rates. However, efficiently exciting nanoscale spin waves for a functional device requires sophisticated lithography techniques and therefore, remains a challenge.

Improving Patient Education Materials: A Practical Algorithm from Development to Validation.

Objectives: To generate an algorithm for systematic development and validation of written patient information in accordance with well-established and validated psychometric and statistical methods that can be applied to different fields of medicine.

Methods: A literature search was carried out in PubMed and Google Scholar. Methods were selected and combined to an algorithm.

Conventional echocardiographic parameters or three-dimensional echocardiography to evaluate right ventricular function in percutaneous edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (PMVR).

Introduction: In this study, we evaluated right ventricular (RV) function before and after percutaneous mitral valve repair (PMVR) using conventional echocardiographic parameters and novel 3DE data sets acquired prior to and directly after the procedure.

Patients And Methods: Observational study on 45 patients undergoing PMVR at an university hospital.

Results: In the overall collective, the 3D RV-EF before and after PMVR showed no significant change (p = 0.

Platelets and Immune Responses During Thromboinflammation.

Besides mediating hemostatic functions, platelets are increasingly recognized as important players of inflammation. Data from experiments in mice and men revealed various intersection points between thrombosis, hemostasis, and inflammation, which are addressed and discussed in this review in detail. One such example is the intrinsic coagulation cascade that is initiated after platelet activation thereby further propagating and re-enforcing wound healing or thrombus formation but also contributing to the pathophysiology of severe diseases.

Elevated Mitral Valve Pressure Gradient Is Predictive of Long-Term Outcome After Percutaneous Edge-to-Edge Mitral Valve Repair in Patients With Degenerative Mitral Regurgitation ( MR ), But Not in Functional MR.

Background This study analyzed the effects on long-term outcome of residual mitral regurgitation ( MR ) and mean mitral valve pressure gradient ( MVPG ) after percutaneous edge-to-edge mitral valve repair using the MitraClip system. Methods and Results Two hundred fifty-five patients who underwent percutaneous edge-to-edge mitral valve repair were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of residual MR and MVPG on clinical outcome.

Predictors of disease worsening defined by progression of organ damage in diffuse systemic sclerosis: a European Scleroderma Trials and Research (EUSTAR) analysis.

Objectives: Mortality and worsening of organ function are desirable endpoints for clinical trials in systemic sclerosis (SSc). The aim of this study was to identify factors that allow enrichment of patients with these endpoints, in a population of patients from the European Scleroderma Trials and Research group database.

Methods: Inclusion criteria were diagnosis of diffuse SSc and follow-up over 12±3 months.

Role of Renin-Angiotensin-System in Human Breast Cancer Cells: Is There a Difference in Regulation of Angiogenesis between Hormone-Receptor Positive and Negative Breast Cancer Cells?

This study examined the role of the RAS in human breast cancer cells to question if there are differences between HR-positive and HR-negative cells with regard to regulation of VEGF. Expression of different RAS components in hormone receptor (HR)-positive and HR-negative breast cancer cells was investigated using RT-PCR. Different stimulation protocols with different RAS inhibitors were used to investigate the effect on VEGF expression.

The "g" in Faking: Doublethink the Validity of Personality Self-Report Measures for Applicant Selection.

The meta-analytic finding that faking does not affect the criterion validity of self-report measures in applicant selection suggests cognitive abilities are crucial to fake personality to an expected optimal profile in self-report measures. Previous studies in this field typically focus on how the of faking changes self-report measurement. However, the effect of faking is rarely considered.

36-Months follow-up assessment after cessation and resuming of enzyme replacement therapy in late onset Pompe disease: data from the Swiss Pompe Registry.

Introduction: Although not curative, enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with recombinant human acid alpha-glucosidase enzyme has shown to be effective in the treatment of late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD). For this potentially life-long treatment, little is known on the clinical effect of cessation and resuming ERT. Due to a Swiss supreme court decision on ERT reimbursement, a temporary stop of ERT occurred in our study population.